Guided by Growth
You may have noticed it walking to class, at a recent visit to the library porch, or trying to get a soft serve ice cream cone at the DH—our students are back and bringing with them all the energy and wonder (yes, wonder!) of a new school year. The FDC is embracing our recent collective growth in student enrollment and our large new faculty class with this year’s theme: Guided by Growth.
We are excited to continue our partnership with you, faculty and academic staff, in our programs, consultations, and coaching. You’ll find familiar events—reading circles, Write Now!, AI in Action, Small Group Instructional Feedback and workshops—as well as some new opportunities to grow your teaching with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (with our easy to use Umbrella IRB), joining a Community of Practice informed by the ASCEND student feedback tool (contact Stephanie Freis for more intel), and guiding writing growth ethically with Boodlebox. We also have reimagined signature gatherings to encourage engagement—most notably, the Learning Exchange (formerly held on Spring Study Day) will be Wednesday, December 9th. Join us to reflect, celebrate, and learn from one another how we’ve been guided by growth this semester with a playful bingo game. Plant-forward prizes are yours to win. 🌱
Our fall programming summary has landed in your break rooms and departmental offices this week; we also have new evergreen magnets that link to our offerings—check your departmental mailbox for yours.
These self-coaching questions informed by this year’s theme may come in handy as you make intentional choices about fostering growth this semester:
- As I develop assignments and provide feedback, in what ways can students show me their learning growth? What does progress step-by-step, look like?
- In what ways have I designed my weekly rhythms to support my own growth in current roles (teacher, scholar, leader, family member, human)? What does my progress—including intentional pauses–look or feel like?
- In what ways do I want to grow in community this semester?
Whether you’re marveling at our enrollment growth, considering how to tend student growth in class, or cultivating your own growth to stay full (in foliage and in vitality), the FDC is here to support you throughout the semester and academic year. We’re ready and excited to grow together with you!